Sunday, August 23, 2015

We thought we were registering for Le Dîner en Blanc . . . instead we ended up at the Chicago in White event . . . and had a blast!

White events seem to be all the rage. The French started it with Le Dîner en Blanc, a very chic pique-nique, the location of which is always shrouded in secrecy . . . and now it's spread all over the world! Well, maybe we'll have a chance to do it next year . . .

But the Chicago in White event was absolutely lovely, and fun! And now that we have all acquired complete white outfits, and a few little white extras, we are definitely going to do it again!

This year's event took place at Ravinia, the oldest outdoor music festival venue in the United States. For this special night, Chicago Jazzman, Ramsey Lewis, celebrated his 80th birthday and performed accompanied by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra! We would have gone to the event regardless, but having Ramsey Lewis perform was such an awesome treat! I'm a big fan!

I couldn't resist snapping pictures of some of the guests. These two ladies were having such a good time! This year, the proceeds of the event benefit Ravinia's “Reach * Teach * Play” program, that provides accessibility to music education in the Greater Chicago area.

So we packed up a nice dinner . . . Brought umbrellas, since the day was slightly overcast . . .

Decked ourselves in white from head to toe . . .

Set a pretty table, to which we all contributed . . .

And . . . enjoyed!

The event kick off is announced with trumpets and the waving of the white napkins.

The menu was also a joint effort, but my friend, Layda's Caprese Salad on skewers, stood out for its prettiness and deliciousness . . .

And my friend, Chris, wins the prize for the bottle of wine with the most interesting name: Sangue di Giuda - Judas' Blood! It's a red semi-sweet sparkling wine with fruity undertones, pefect for a warm summer night!